Denials,
apologies, explanations and investigations notwithstanding, the real legacy
of Super Bowl XXXVIII is as true as Adam Vinatieris game winning field
goal: a "wardrobe malfunction" of staggering proportions. Less so
because of the baring of breast than the misogynistic message electronically
transmitted to children by two popular performers no doubt looked to as role
models and examples of success.

The
lyrics, choreography and nudity in Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlakes
halftime show inspired outrage among countless fans and families who thought
they were watching a youth-friendly sporting event celebrating hard work,
teamwork, sacrifice and reward. But the sexualizing of most every aspect of
modern-day marketing, even of the Super Bowl, shouldnt obscure the normalizing
of a debasing  if simulated  sexual assault.

Over
the past twenty years, we have witnessed unparalleled advances in the education
of young people (especially boys) about important gender issues, not the least
of which is respect for sexual, physical and psychological boundaries. On
Super Bowl Sunday, years of dialogue were dashed in a drumbeat.

Layered
with adult-sized entertainment and wrapped in advertising extolling the virtues
of alcohol and sex, the modern-day Super Bowl broadcast, like so much other
TV fare, has become an amalgam of poor taste, poor programming and poor stewardship
of adults responsibility to youth. One pundit calls it the NFLs
"deal with the devil" in pursuit of higher ratings. Sadly, the NFL
is not alone, especially when it comes to sex.

A study conducted at the University of California, Santa Barbara found that:

Two-thirds
of all television shows (64%) have some sexual content, including one in
three (32%) with sexual behaviors.

One
in seven shows (14%) now includes sexual intercourse.

In
the top 20 shows among teen viewers, eight in ten episodes included some
sexual content (83%), including one in five (20%) with sexual intercourse.

So,
whats the harm? Too often, and too early, young people are given the
message that having sex, whatever the cost, is not worth waiting for. Unfortunately,
theyre paying attention. New Teens Today research from SADD and
Liberty Mutual Group reveals that nearly half of teens are sexually active,
including 60.9% of 15- to 17-year-olds and 12.6% of 11- to 12-year-olds.

A
sense of urgency combined with a lack of self-control can be catastrophic.
Statistics from the US Department of Health and Human Services Centers for
Disease Control (CDC) show that each year approximately three million cases
of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) occur among teenagers and that approximately
860,000 teenagers become pregnant. The CDC also reports that 1,688 young people
(ages 13 to 24) were reported with AIDS in 2000, bringing the cumulative total
to 31,293 cases of AIDS in this age group.

As
if STDs, pregnancies and AIDS werent enough to worry about, the Teens
Today research makes clear that such early sexual behavior is also linked
to higher rates of stress and depression, which happen to correlate with alcohol
and drug use  often precursors themselves of sexual activity and sexual
violence. And thats where things get really ugly.

In
2002, the Massachusetts Task Force on Sexual Assault and Abuse reported that:

One
in five Massachusetts high school girls is physically and/or sexually abused
by a date;

More
than half of women who report being raped at some point in their lives were
under the age of 18 at the time of the assault;

A
young womans year of greatest risk for sexual assault is age 14.
The task force also noted that sexual assault could negatively impact ones
lifelong physical and mental health.

To
be certain, some adults will dispute the link between what teens see on television
and their decisions about behavior. But the teens themselves say something
different. According to Teens, Sex and TV, a survey conducted by the
Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation and US News & World Report, 72%
of 15- to 17-year-olds believe that sexual content on TV influences the behavior
of kids their age, with 22% reporting it influences their own behavior.

It
might make sense for adults to stop wondering why teens do the things they
often do and listen to their explanations instead. It might make more sense
to keep them away from some television programming in the first place.

The
Janet and Justin imbroglio is just the latest, and most high profile, example
of the media-driven economic imperative that sacrifices youth on the altar
of commerce. Lets face it: sex sells. The question is if the kids know
what theyre buying.

Stephen
Wallace, national chairman and chief executive officer of SADD, Inc., has
broad experience as a school psychologist and adolescent counselor. He recently
served as a member of the Massachusetts Task Force on Sexual Assault and Abuse.
For more information on the SADD/Liberty Mutual Teens Today research,
visit
www.saddonline.com or
www.libertymutualinsurance.com.